Chapter Text
Star City
July 26, 18:35 PDT
"And...done! Finally."
Jennifer Lance gave a satisfied smile to the bouquet of greenery and flowers on the worktable in front of her. She picked up the vase it was in to carry it to a cooler in the other room.
Working in her little flower shop for two years managed to drum up attention so she seemed to get more and more orders every month. But it kept her busy and it paid well enough to keep the lights on, so she didn't mind it at all.
"Mister Kiligan will be here in the morning to pick that up and he needs to pay me the rest of the total amount," she mumbled as she scribbled a note to herself to read the next day. She crossed over to the cash register, sticking the adhesive to the edge of the counter beside it.
The peaceful evening silence was soon interrupted as the bell attached to the front door chimed.
I thought I locked that hours ago... "We're clo-"
Jenna's friendly demeanor immediately dropped when she looked up to see who had walked in. She slapped the pen down on the counter, gripping the edge to brace herself and hold herself up at the same time.
"Isn't it bad enough you keep coming to my apartment relentlessly?" she inquired.
The intruder's brow furrowed sadly. "Can we please talk?"
"I already told you no, Dick. I'm not interested in helping you at all."
Dick threw his hands up as Jenna breezed past him to the front door. "Why not?"
Jenna looked down at the lock, eyes narrowing when she realized how he had gotten in once she knew it was him. He could have broken the lock trying to pick it. Then I'd have to go and replace it. Idiot.
"You know why," she said, finally turning around. "Now, do I have to shut the door in your face again for you to get a clue?"
Dick ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. "Hear me out. There's something I could really use your help with tomorrow in Moscow," he begged.
Jenna rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, the meta-human trafficking."
More and more kids were getting abducted and tested for the gene in the last couple of years since the Reach began to do just that. Assuming they even survived the gruesome process, the teens were often shipped off to do the bidding of yet another cruel person.
Of course Jenna had a heart, and she still cared about those who needed help, but the discomfort wasn't enough incentive to work with her old friend. Especially when he had many others at his disposal.
"Well, forget it," she continued. "Because I don't know if I want to work with someone when they may keep me out of the loop of important things."
At least Dick had the decency—or audacity—to wince. "How many more times do I have to apologize?"
Jenna pretended to think it over, shrugging as she crossed her arms. "Maybe when I know it's genuine?"
She pointed a finger straight at him. "After all, you and Kaldur were the ones to decide to keep secrets from me," she reminded, jabbing her thumb in a hypothetical direction. "And at least he has had enough respect for me to leave me alone. You clearly don't."
She took a step aside, pulling the door open wide. "Now leave before I have to kick you out. Literally," she all but ordered, frowning while she watched Dick dejectedly approach the door. "If you want help, why don't you ask Sam? He's helped you out with busts before."
As Dick stepped out, not yet closing the door, he glanced back at Jenna. "I wanted a friend's help."
He shut the door and, through the window, Jenna watched him walk down the street until she couldn't see him anymore. When she didn't, she spun around again, running a hand through her newly chopped hair and tugging on the chin-length ends. I can't believe-
"He still thinks I'm going to let it go that easily? Not a chance," she grumbled.
She got mad when the door opened behind her again. "I already told y-" She stopped when she realized it wasn't Dick.
She let out a long sigh. "Sorry, Di."
Dinah's eyebrows were raised in amusement. "Bad day?" she guessed.
Jenna looked away. "Not until a couple of minutes ago," she admitted. "Dick showed up."
Dinah looked surprised as she stepped into the building, having come from her counseling office on the floor above the flower shop. "And you're still not going to talk to him?"
Jenna turned her head to glare at Dinah, throwing her hand up. "Of course not. Why would I?"
"Because it's been two years, Jenna," her sister pointed out. "I'm not going to judge your feelings in the matter, but you never even gave them a chance to fully explain."
"Dinah, you know how much he hurt me!" Jenna cried out with a scowl.
Dinah's face softened. "Are you sure you're talking about Dick right now?"
Jenna's spine straightened, her nostrils flaring. It didn't take a genius to know who she was referring to.
"Kaldur made his decision three years ago when he decided not to tell me he was going undercover in his father's organization," she defended herself. "He never trusted me enough to harbor a secret like that, so why should I listen to an apology from him? Anyway, he hasn't spoken to me since- since the funeral."
Jenna closed her eyes briefly to steady herself. The usual lump in her throat began to tighten when thinking about her late friend. Two years and counting of therapy had proved to be helpful, but some days were still harder than others.
Dinah approached her sister, resting a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Because he cares about you too much."
Jenna scoffed. "He's sure been doing a great job of showing it," she said sarcastically.
Dinah shot her a disapproving look only an older sister could give. "Communication is a two-way street, Jenna."
"Wow, how often do you use that line?" Jenna moved away, busying herself by shutting off lights and retrieving her personal belongings. The sun was setting more by the minute and she had planned to meet Sam for patrol later.
Dinah waited by the door, following Jenna out of the building and onto the mostly empty sidewalk. The younger Lance sister quickly locked up and began to move down the street.
"I'm serious," Dinah continued, making Jenna roll her eyes. "You know he realizes that you want nothing to do with him so, of course, he's going to keep his distance. So if you want to talk to him so badly, you have to be the one to do it."
"What makes you think I want to talk to him?"
Dinah only gave her a knowing glance. "Did you forget I'm your big sister? I can see right through you."
Jenna scoffed, shoving Dinah's shoulder playfully. "Yeah, and you'll never let me forget it."
Dinah laughed, moving closer to pull her into a side hug. "Come on, let's go grab something to eat."
~/~/~/~
That night, Siren dropped down onto an old familiar rooftop, spotting an equally familiar figure right away. If her years around him didn't make him easily recognizable by his presence alone, his new height, muscled build, and matching tattoo sleeves trailing down those muscles all definitely did.
"Order for Sam?" she called out.
Samuel Hendricks, also known as the hero Banshee, turned to shoot her a grin. "Finally," he said.
"Sorry, I got held up. Then you decided to send me a last-minute text asking if I had any spares." Siren held out her hand for Banshee to swipe the set of batteries that charged up his mask.
Banshee snorted. "Which way are we going tonight?" he asked, fiddling with his mask before sliding it on.
Siren pulled out her communicator, prompting Banshee to do the same. She glanced through the map for a moment, noting the various markers. "Arrow and Arrowette are taking downtown tonight. Let's head down to the harbor and loop our way back by the diner to return here," she suggested.
Banshee shrugged. "Fine by me."
They dropped off the building, landing where their motorcycles were parked and waiting. Siren swung one leg over her bike, adjusting her jacket so the long, fanned back that usually went to her thighs wasn't caught underneath her once she was straddling the seat. Haircuts weren't the only physical change to happen over the last couple of years that took some getting used to.
Once her bike—and helmet—was on, she took off. And by the easily recognizable sound of another motor, she knew Banshee wasn't far behind.
"So," he said slowly through their open comms. "I talked to Dick today."
Siren immediately let out a sigh. "Sam..."
"He really wants your help with all of this, Jen," Banshee quickly interrupted. "You're the one with the tactical skills. And the leadership."
Siren briefly took her eyes off the road to glance at him once his bike became parallel to hers. "Yeah, but those leadership skills haven't been put to much use for the past two years. I only just got back into any sort of crime-fighting a year ago," she gently reminded him.
She had turned her eyes back to the street, but she could feel his returning gaze on her. "But don't you miss it?" Banshee countered. "Sticking to the city isn't the same."
"Yeah, but-"
"I mean, come on," he continued, purposefully not giving her a chance to speak. "You may have tried to come back like nothing was out of the ordinary, but you also came back in a whole new getup since you couldn't stand to wear that old jacket anymore."
When they made a turn, Siren quickly swerved around a parked car on the curb, cursing under her breath. "Do we have to have this conversation right now? Last I checked, you're my protégé, not my therapist."
"Ex-protégé. You forget I'm doing a lot of patrols on my own now."
Siren pulled her bike closer to Banshee's, sending him a light glare. "I don't care how old or experienced you get, kiddo. You'll always be my protégé," she said with a light smile.
The corners of Banshee's eyes wrinkled, indicating he was smiling too.
"My point is," he said carefully, "I know you just want to forget, but there are kids that need our help."
Damn you and your tender-hearted nature. Siren tried to wave it off anyway. "Exactly. You can help just as much as I can."
"That's not the point and you know it," Banshee pressed.
"Attention all units, museum robbery reported on Brooklyn and Eighth. Security officers are down. Requesting backup."
Siren's lips thinned as their conversation came to a sudden halt when the scanner interrupted them. "Duty calls," she said dryly, zooming ahead.
"You can't ignore this!" Banshee called after her.
Try me.
When they arrived at the scene, it was clear the police had yet to beat them there. That was one thing about crime in most major cities: there was always so much going on at the same time that it was hard for the cops to show up in a timely manner.
Good thing Star City had several heroes to defend it.
Luckily, the loud alarms were enough to sneak in unnoticed. Passing by the unconscious security, both heroes took to the rafters, wanting to avoid detection and a gunfight as much as possible. Especially before the police arrived.
"Hurry up, we don't have all day! The cops could be here any minute!"
"Forget the cops, what about Green Arrow?"
Siren signaled to Banshee when the coast was clear, giving him the go-ahead to drop down and sneak behind one of the display cases. It looked like nothing else was being taken besides whatever was inside the one displaying old, collectible coins. It was obviously important if they were trying to be careful getting to it.
"Nah, Jonny confirmed that he was spotted downtown. We don't need to worry about him."
"Then what about Siren? I heard she's back in town."
One of the goons huffed out a deep laugh. "That 'Black Canary wannabe' doesn't scare me."
That's about to change.
"Aw, too bad it's just me then, fellas." Banshee had popped up behind the group, surprising all six of them.
He quickly moved from where he leaned against a case to surge forward, reaching the three gunmen before they had the chance to lift their weapons. He grabbed the collars of two, quickly slamming their heads into one another.
He then swung his foot out, slamming his toe into the rifle of the third just as he was about to fire. The rifle flung away, giving Banshee a chance to knock the guy out with a solid punch.
Banshee looked up at the remaining three, and though his lower face was hidden, Siren knew that he had a cocky grin on underneath.
"If Siren doesn't scare me, you certainly don't, kid."
Banshee tilted his head back with an exaggerated sigh. "Damn. And here I thought the tattoos did something for my intimidation factor," he mused.
Just then, Siren dropped down near the display case that was being broken into, keeping just out of sight from the goons.
She grabbed one, quickly covering his mouth before he had a chance to yell and tightening her bicep around his throat until he passed out. She slowly lowered him to the ground, never making a sound.
With a quick flicker, Banshee's eyes shot over to her before returning to the remaining duo. "But you know what does?"
"Pray tell," the cocky goon sneered, missing when Siren grabbed the shoulder of his partner, swiftly jabbing her elbow into the side of his head before he could react. The loud alarm easily hid the dull thudding sound before the goon slowly went down like his friend did earlier.
She stepped over the robber's body, stopping right behind the remaining one.
"Her," Banshee answered, eyes landing on his mentor.
The goon went rigid, suddenly whirling around to look at what Banshee saw. His eyes widened when he saw the woman barely a few feet away from him.
Which was the last thing he saw before she roundhoused him in the face.
With the robbers tied up and waiting for when the police would finally arrive, Siren and Banshee set back out on their patrol route.
"About earlier-"
Siren let out a groan.
"-at least help out with the trafficking in Moscow Dick was telling me about today. It's one bust. What do you have to lose?"
Rather than answer, Siren fell silent. A part of her did want to help. Despite what had happened two years ago, she was still herself. She still cared about those in need and was always willing and wanting to help.
It wouldn't be so terrible to help out one time, would it? In, out, done.
Right?
~/~/~/~
The Watchtower
July 27, 19:57 EDT
As Banshee's squad entered the mission room, he quickly sought out his friends. It was still a little strange using the Watchtower as the team's HQ for the past two years after the League decided it was high time that they all work alongside each other as equals. In their words, the team had earned it.
"Hey, Ban!" Kid Flash called out in greeting. "How'd Gamma's mission go?"
Following the death of the first Kid Flash, Bart Allen took up his cousin's mantle. It was something that had briefly been discussed beforehand, but, well, the plans got bumped up after the tragedy.
Banshee grimaced while he slid an arm around Blue Beetle's shoulders. "It went," he muttered, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's armored temple.
And that was another thing that came out of the last two years. It honestly just kind of...happened. All thanks to a movie premiere, one speedster having to supposedly cancel, and leaving the other two newly pining teenagers to attend on their own.
As of late, they had been dating for almost a year and Banshee couldn't be happier.
Blue suddenly let out a snort, making Banshee look down. Once he had grown taller than his boyfriend, he hadn't let Blue forget about it for weeks.
"Let me guess, scarab's complaining again?" Banshee assumed.
Blue Beetle rolled his eyes. "He doesn't like you kissing me with the faceplate on."
Banshee scoffed. "He better deal with it," he said, lightly knocking on the side of Blue's head to bother the scarab even further.
"Alright, let's debrief so you can all be free to head home."
Banshee dropped his hand to his hip, turning to listen to what the team's leader had to say. He wasn't sure how the other squad's mission went, but he wasn't excited to hear what she had to say about his.
"Excellent work, Alpha Squad. Textbook op, truly," Miss Martian continued. "Gamma, you could learn something from-"
"Recognized: Steel, three-six. Black Lightning, two-three."
Banshee's eyebrow that had raised upon the interruption only lifted higher when the two men came into view. Particularly because of one. Black Lighting's out of costume? Knowing Static's mentor, it wasn't like him.
The man sighed heavily. "Where are they?"
"Already in the conference room," Miss Martian said softly. "Most of them, anyway."
Both Black Lightning and Steel continued on their way, and Banshee watched with a light frown, briefly glancing down at Static in front of him. I wonder if Jenna happens to know anything about this.
"Well, that's everyone but the League's fearless leader," KF piped up.
"Recognized: Aquaman, two-seven."
"And speak of the devil..."
Banshee glanced around Blue Beetle to stare at the speedster. "Does super speed give you the ability to see into the future or something?"
The new Aquaman finally came into view and he approached his former teammates.
"They're, uh, all waiting for you," Superboy told him.
The three adults began to converse, leaving Banshee to watch silently.
It hadn't even been a year yet since Kaldur became Aquaman and subsequently joined the League when his former mentor stepped down. Banshee himself had gone to the induction ceremony of the newest League members...in civvies obviously. He had also thought that he had seen Jenna there, but before he could catch her to speak to her, she was gone.
Before all of that, when Aquaman was still Aqualad and therefore the team's leader, Banshee felt a bit apprehensive toward his mentor's ex, but that didn't last long. He understood that the hero's life called for impossible decisions to be made. He understood that he only really got to see one side of the story and how much it affected Siren rather than get the whole story at once. So he was also understanding when he saw how much it affected Aqualad in the several months after Siren left the team.
It wasn't just one person suffering, but one was refusing to speak with the other and the other was respecting those wishes. It was hard to believe that it had only been three years ago when they were one of the most powerful couples on the team and in the line of work.
But things changed.
Miss Martian suddenly turned back to the team. "It's going to take a bit before we finish the debrief, everyone," she apologized. "I'll be back shortly then we can wrap up."
Then she was gone, walking away with Aquaman.
Banshee let out a puff of air, the exhale making a strand of hair in his eyes fly up. Yippee.
As the rest of the team started separating, chatting to one another while they waited, Banshee didn't think much about the hand that suddenly grasped his own, but he turned when Blue started talking.
"When's move-in?"
Banshee glanced up at the tall ceiling in thought. "Two weeks?" he said uncertainly. "But I feel like I'm practically living there already with how much I have to be at practice."
Being on the swim team had its ups and downs, but if being a part of it–and being one of the top swimmers–meant having a scholarship for college, he wasn't going to complain.
Kid Flash poked his head around from the other side of Blue, grinning as he ate from his bag of freeze-dried Chicken Whizees. "Need any big guns to help move stuff in?"
Banshee snorted. "Sure, if you know where to find any, let me know."
A loud laugh came from Thirteen who held up her hand for a high five to which Banshee obliged. "Good one," she snickered.
Kid let out a groan. "Blue, a little help?"
Blue Beetle blinked innocently from where he moved to sit on the platform. "Help with what?" he asked with a shrug.
The group's giggles slowly faded away when a few Leaguers began to walk into the room. That was...fast.
Batman, who had been passing by, turned to look at the team. "It's time."
Banshee's brow furrowed when he saw Arrowette and Spoiler begin to walk toward the Zeta-Tubes.
"Time?" he could hear Wonder Girl echo to Robin. "Time for what?"
Her boyfriend's shoulders slightly heaved when he sighed before he let go of her hand and walked away as well. What?
Wonder Girl spoke louder to be heard over the computer's voice when their team members teleported away. "Robin- Tim. Where are you going?"
But he didn't answer her nor look back as he, too, teleported away. Banshee quickly moved beside Wonder Girl, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"What is he doing?" she mumbled with a hurt frown.
Banshee only shook his head. "I- I don't know," he admitted. He squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her...even if he didn't understand the reason he was comforting her.
While Wonder Girl stared at the Tubes, Banshee's eyes trailed over to the Dark Knight.
"Join us, Jeff," he said to the other man who was leaving the conference room too. "I think we want the same things."
"The same things? Really?" Jeff scoffed. "Batman, I just resigned from the Justice League. And at least their leaders were elected democratically. I want nothing to do with Batman Incorporated."
He turned away. "The truth is, I don't trust you. Especially after what you pulled in there today."
Banshee's eyes went wide. Lightning resigned?
"What?" Kid Flash said with an equally shocked gasp, but for another reason. "What did he pull?"
Jeff approached his protégé, sighing. "I'm sorry, Virgil. Maybe you can find a new mentor. One who's...less damaged."
Then he was gone too.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?!" KF cried out.
Banshee frowned. I wish I could. His gaze flickered over to the remaining adults in the room.
Aquaman looked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Perhaps Dick and Jenna had the right idea," he said tiredly.
Banshee's frown deepened.
~/~/~/~
Moscow
July 28, 03:03 MSK
Siren pointedly avoided Nightwing's gaze. The last thing she wanted was to give him a reason to gloat about finally being able to convince her.
"Thanks for coming with," he mumbled quietly as the both of them stared at the warehouse from the rooftop across from it.
Siren adjusted the mask covering her lower face. It felt weird shielding her identity after so long since abandoning that method, especially when–until she had turned eighteen–she only ever used a mask to obscure her eyes. With a power where she needed to use her mouth, it was odd when she not only had no free access but was forced to muffle it too. But no one can know who we are, even as heroes.
"Yeah, well, let's just get this over with," she finally answered, taking the initiative to drop off the roof.
Getting in was easy enough, as was finding a way to the upper level without being noticed. And once Nightwing gave the signal after they saw who they were up against–which made Siren's stomach turn at the thought of the cages potentially full of kids–it was time to rain hellfire on the unsuspecting captors' heads.
Siren vaulted over the railing, dropping right beside one of the gunmen, startling him. Before he had time to lift his gun, she was slamming the heel of her palm into his nose. While he tried to stem the sudden gush of blood, he didn't notice the elbow coming up to drive into the side of his skull.
Siren lunged for the next nearest captor, kicking the gun out of his hand before grabbing the side of his head and bringing it down to meet her knee. When he went limp, she had no issues with chucking his body on top of his friends.
With a quick glance up once the gunfire stopped, she saw Nightwing had taken out the other two.
"Intel was on the money, Oracle," he said out loud.
"Of course," Siren heard in her own ear as she moved to the cages.
A brief glance through the spyhole confirmed there were teens inside. Heart aching, she pulled out a knife from her thigh holster, jamming the tip of it into the small gap between the lock and crate. With a quick shove at the handle, the lock popped off, allowing the door to fall open. Nightwing had similarly copied her move with his escrima stick, giving the teens a chance to escape.
"You're free! Go!" Siren ordered the several kids in their own language.
"It's definitely another meta-human trafficking lab," Nightwing confirmed to Oracle as they watched the abductees leave.
"But is it Bedlam?"
Siren glanced around the room to get a better look. She scowled when she saw chambers off to the side. Dammit.
"I'm seeing pods full of black goo," Nightwing answered out loud.
"More like torture chambers," Siren muttered to herself.
The idea that teens were being drowned to awaken their meta-gene was horrifying. And that didn't even guarantee that it would work, meaning that some never woke up again.
"It sounds like a match," Oracle surmised.
As Nightwing knelt by the pods, taking a sample of the goo on the floor of the chamber, she continued, "Bedlam uses a substance called Tar as a catalyst for turning abducted meta-gene kids into full-on meta-humans...assuming the kids survive the process."
Siren's expression darkened. As she heard the groans of the waking men, she shared a glare with Nightwing when he stood.
"Then let's shut 'em down," he said firmly, tossing a few explosive disks into the crates where the kids once were as well as the pods.
Leaving the bombs to do their job, the duo sprinted out of the warehouse and returned to their previous lookout. Once they reached the edge, Siren could see the men inside rush out only seconds before the place blew.
Her eyes narrowed. I shouldn't wish that they hadn't made it out, but...
"Nightwing? Siren, do you read?" came Oracle's frantic voice upon hearing the explosion.
"Worried about us?" her boyfriend quipped.
"Worried you didn't get a sample of the Tar before you blew the place," Oracle corrected dryly.
"Way ahead of you. Sending data now." Nightwing held up the sample in his hand, using his augmented reality contacts, identical to the ones he gave Siren before the mission, to scan the substance for its chemical makeup.
"Got it. Running analysis...okay, this is crash."
"What'd you find?" Siren wondered.
"Well, a solid lead to the source of the Tar and hopefully Bedlam Central."
Siren looked out at nothing in particular as the exact data was sent through to her own tech. It was handy to have a computer inside one's vision at the ready.
"Spill," Nightwing requested.
"Tar contains a clay only found in one place"–a GPS location appeared in front of Siren's eyes–"Markovia."
Nightwing pulled off his mask. "Then, Markovia, here we come."
Siren followed suit, beginning to move away. "Good luck with that."
Before she could move very far away though, a hand seized her wrist. "Jen, wait."
She avoided his gaze as he turned her around forcefully. "I told you that I would help you get your information," she answered. "I did, so my work is done."
"You helped me get a location that I could have gotten on my own," Nightwing countered.
Siren rolled her eyes. "So glad that you appreciated my help," she drawled, pulling her arm out of his grasp.
Nightwing let out a long sigh, grabbing her shoulder before she could turn away again. "That's not what I meant and you know it," he said, annoyed. "We got the location, but not all of the information. We have a real chance at shutting this whole operation down, but I'm going to need extra pairs of hands to do it."
Siren remained quiet, finally glaring up at him through her eyelashes.
"Please. Help me," Nightwing practically begged. "Then I swear, after we finish the Markovia mission, I'll leave you alone."
There was a beat of silence.
"Fine," Siren eventually said, pulling her shoulder away. "One mission. That's it."
She turned away, this time without any hindrance. She glanced over her shoulder before she dropped off the roof though. "Keep me updated, let me know what you need me to do. I'll be there," she promised.
After all, she kept her promises.
~/~/~/~
Star City
July 28, 07:16 PDT
Jenna was driving down the streets of a residential neighborhood when the person she was calling finally answered.
"Hello?"
"Yeah, hi, so I'm on my way to do what you asked, but care to explain why Sam texted last night asking me if I 'knew anything about Batman, Green Arrow, and their protégés walking out'?"
Dick awkwardly cleared his throat. "I was going to let you in the loop before we left for Markovia," he said.
Jenna hummed sarcastically. "I'm sure you were. Let's hear it then."
It was something to do about trying to beat the Light at their own game. It had been so long since their fight began and since Lex Luthor–unfortunately being the new Secretary-General since Tseng stepped down–placed extremely strict regulations on the Justice League, even preventing them from going on humanitarian missions. Because of it, the fight was getting harder to win.
So, Batman and several others resigned from the League, intent on working on their own terms. Since the League, and subsequently the team, were forced to follow the United Nations' rules, several members of both were going to distance themselves.
"Wait, wait, wait," Jenna's car rolled to a stop at an intersection. "So what is this 'loop' you're talking about?"
"Well if you'd let me get there," Dick said exasperatedly, making Jenna roll her eyes as she turned onto a different street. "It was pre-planned. Kaldur, Diana, and M'gann are all in on it with Bruce, Barbara, and Tim. While their respective teams work seemingly on their own, the leaders of each are going to secretly coordinate everything together."
Jenna pursed her lips. "Guess it makes sense. It'd be best to keep tabs on everything that's going on at the same time," she admitted. "But keep it a secret from everyone that they're all still working together? You know what happened the last time you tried that."
As she parked at the curb, she broke the long, awkward silence that had followed her comment. "I'm here. I'll let you know what the answer is."
After she had hung up and exited her car, she crossed the empty street. With a few, quick knocks, it didn't take long for someone to answer the door.
Jenna smiled. "Hi, hope I'm not bothering you guys this early."
The bearded man at the door pulled her into a warm hug. "Not at all, Jen," he said.
Jenna stepped inside the house as a little voice called out to her. "Auntie 'En!"
She moved over to the kitchen table, wrapping her arms around the tiny two-year-old's body. "Morning, sunflower," she said cheerfully, pressing a kiss on top of Lian's head with a loud smack.
"So what brings you in?" Roy–who had recently started going by Will–asked as he drew closer to the table. "It's my amazing breakfast-making skills, isn't it?"
Jenna snorted. "Uh, no," she teased. "Actually, it has to do with a mission tomorrow night."
"Mission?" She looked up at the question, glancing over at her best friend who was sitting at the end of the table with a cup of coffee in her hand.
She hadn't really planned on speaking to Artemis again a year prior, but she blamed Will for that change in plans. Jenna hadn't even realized that the blonde archer had moved in with her brother-in-law and niece until he casually invited her over for dinner one night. Jade had recently up and left her spouse and daughter so Jenna was more than happy to keep her pseudo-brother and goddaughter company. But when she opened the door to their home that evening, she was in for a surprise to see who was sitting in the living room.
After a bit of manhandling from Will, she sat down and spoke to Artemis for the first time in a year. She was about to start her master's program in college, deciding to get it from Royal University. There...there were just too many memories back in Palo Alto. So she and Brucely, her and Wally's dog, moved to Star City under the warm invitation by Will to live with him and Lian.
Things weren't yet one hundred percent like they used to be, but Jenna had to admit that she was happy to speak with her best friend again. After all, she wasn't the one to hide everything from her from the very beginning.
"Yeah..." Jenna sighed, accepting the mug of coffee Will set in front of her. "This is going to sound insane coming from me, but...Dick and I are going to Markovia. We might have a chance to shut down a meta-human trafficking syndicate for good."
Artemis' eyebrows raised high. "When did you talk to Dick?"
Jenna took a sip of her drink, keeping her eyes glued to the rim of the mug. "Last night when we busted a meta-gene testing lab in Moscow."
Will slid into the seat beside her. "He finally convinced you?" he questioned.
Jenna closed her eyes. "No."
But what did convince me? Dick had been relentless ever since he started going after meta-human traffickers, and she turned him down every single time he showed up at her door. So why now?
"I guess I see myself in those kids," she admitted to herself as much as she did to the other two. "I grew up with my powers before I even knew what the meta-gene was. And now...there are kids who are just like me being-"
She quickly glanced over at Lian before clearing her throat. "-who need help," she corrected herself. "And I feel like I should be there to do that."
She looked up at Artemis. "So Dick wants your help with this too. He's collecting the other two soon, but he figured since we live in the same city, it was easier for me to swing by and see if you were willing to join us."
Jenna picked at her nails. "I- I know you've kind of put up the Tigress mask again, but-"
"I'll help."
Jenna's demeanor relaxed with a small smile of relief crossing her face. If she was being honest, she felt better having Artemis join. Conner was going to be there too which was always great, and Jenna got along well with Jeff, but she missed getting to go on missions with her best friend.
Just like she sometimes missed going on missions with a particular ex of hers.
"Well, I should get going, I need to get ready to open the shop," she said with a sigh, squeezing Will's shoulder as she stood and then moving around to kiss Lian on the cheek.
She glanced back at the trio as she reached the door, meeting Artemis' gaze. She smiled lightly. "I should hear more from Dick later so swing by the shop when I close, okay?" she suggested.
Artemis smiled too, nodding. "See you."
Jenna left the Harper-Crock residence, oddly feeling lighter than she had in a while.
~/~/~/~
Metropolis
July 30, 00:00 EDT
"Recognized: Siren, B-zero-two; Tigress, B-zero-eight."
Jenna's brow furrowed when she laid eyes on Dick. "Is he a no-show?" she asked, noticing that he was alone.
Dick sighed. "I texted him and, when he didn't answer, I stopped by. I even mentioned you were coming along too, but..." He shrugged uncertainly.
Jenna's lips thinned, fiddling with the duffel bag that contained her darkwear and dress.
It wasn't exactly a secret that she wanted nothing to do with those that lied to her. Artemis was different. Yes, she didn't tell Jenna either, but she was following what both Dick and Kaldur asked of her. They were the ones to make sure Jenna was kept out of it since the start of Kaldur's mission.
Nonetheless, the team and the League alike all knew that Jenna had her mind made up. She wasn't going to work with either of her former co-leaders for any reason. It was easier when Dick stepped away from the team following Wally's death. And she supposed that nothing was really hindering her from rejoining the team since the only remaining 'issue' was now leading the League with Wonder Woman.
But if Dick's mission was enough for Jenna to work with him again after two years, she was surprised that Jeff didn't consider that it meant something. I guess Rann messed him up more than I thought...not that I would have reacted any differently to that poor girl dying.
The sound of roaring engines broke through the sky. Jenna's smile brightened when Conner came into view atop the Super-Cycle. Once he landed, she moved toward him.
"Hey, congrats, Con!" she called out.
Earlier that day when Jenna was opening up her shop, she almost immediately got a phone call as soon as she got inside. Since there were no customers yet, she accepted after the second ring, only to be met with exciting—and expected—news.
Conner had proposed to M'gann.
Jenna knew it was coming after the two of them had gotten back together, having seen the ring once it was ready a month ago. Conner wouldn't have taken so long, but things just kind of kept getting in the way. Eventually, the timing finally worked out.
And Jenna couldn't have been more excited. Especially when M'gann had called to ask the blonde if she would be her maid of honor.
"Thanks, Jen," Conner said with a warm smile before glancing at the other two. "This all of us?"
Before any of them could answer, from atop the bridge came an exasperated, "No."
Jenna turned to see Jeff standing there, looking a bit resigned. When he vaulted off the ledge to join them, she couldn't hold back her smug grin.
"Don't give me that look," he told her and her three friends. "One mission only. Agreed?"
Jenna scoffed. "Sorry, that's my condition."
"Agreed. For both of you," Dick spoke up. "Time is short, mission briefing en route. Let's go."